Explaining Your Dog’s Grooming Needs in Plain Language

“Just make him cute” sounds harmless until you pick up your dog and realize you and your groomer pictured two totally different haircuts. We’ve heard it all at Hound Therapy, and we’re sharing how to get the look you want without needing grooming terms, blade numbers, or salon jargon.

We talk through the biggest communication traps pet parents fall into, including the infamous “puppy cut” that can mean anything from fluffy and rounded to short and smooth. We explain how to give clear direction using simple, everyday language and why a recent photo is often the fastest way to get on the same page. We also get honest about expectations: coat condition, matting, and how much brushing you’ll really do at home directly shape what’s possible and what will last between appointments.

From “low maintenance” versus “high maintenance” requests to asking for a “comfort groom” for senior dogs, we keep it practical and dog-first. We even break down the small details that cause the most mix-ups, like beard versus mustache, ear length that stays out of the water bowl, and how to describe face and ear shapes in ways any groomer can interpret. If you’re in North Texas and want better grooming results with less stress, this is your roadmap.

If this helped, subscribe, share it with a fellow pet parent, and leave a quick review so more dogs get grooms that match their comfort and their family’s lifestyle.

To learn more about Hound Therapy visit:
https://www.HoundTherapy.com
Hound Therapy
3509 E Park Blvd.
Plano, TX
469-367-0009

Transcript

Welcome And The Big Promise

SPEAKER_00 0:03

Welcome to Tale Talk Grooming Chronicles with House Therapy, the podcast where we talk all things pet grooming, daycare, academy, and more. Hosted by Shannon and Tanya of House Therapy, serving pet owners across North Texas. We're here to share expert tips, hilarious pet stories, and the inside scoop on keeping your furry friends happy and healthy. Our motto, humanity over vanity. And don't worry, we don't fight. Let's get started.

Why “Just Make Him Cute” Backfires

SPEAKER_01 0:39

If you've ever walked into a grooming salon and felt unsure how to describe the haircut your dog needs, you're not alone. Today we break down how to communicate clearly so your pup walks out looking like they should. Welcome back, everyone. I'm Sophia Yvette, co-host and producer, back in the studio with Shannon and Tanya, professional groomers at Hound Therapy. Hi, ladies, how is it going today?

SPEAKER_02 1:06

We're good, same chaos, different episode.

SPEAKER_01 1:11

I love that. Now I'm really excited for this one, ladies, because it's a question that we all hear all the time. So let the listeners know how to explain what you want without grooming terms.

SPEAKER_02 1:29

Yeah, so what a lot of times what you say and what we hear are two very different things. So um I can't tell you how many times that you know somebody has walked in here, I would say daily, uh, and they just drop the little dog off and they're like, just make him cute. Um, you know, and that's it. And they they think that we're gonna uh have uh this all over idea of this vision that's in your head of what you think is cute. Um, so it's you know, it and you're not the only person that does that. There's a lot of people that do that. So coming from a groomer standpoint uh for a pet owner, one of the best ways to help us is to be very, very clear. Um, but I know that it's it can be intimidating. Yeah, and and it's a bit hard, especially if you don't understand um what you are trying your point you're trying to get across. Yeah, we don't expect you to have a full-on language of, you know, what everything that is that we do here. You don't need to know uh, you know, what blades we're using and uh and what that length is for this particular, you know, cut. Um, but we do need some things like um behavior, maintenance, reality, like, you know, but that's let's not set unrealistic expectations. So um I'll give you a few examples, right? People, let's say just a puppy cut, uh, which is is great. It's cute, soft, fluffy, and you know, what does that mean to you? Uh to me, uh it means literally anything. It could make people short, it could be long, it could be it could be a shave. I mean, puppy cut means anything. Yeah. Anything to me. Do you want his face round? Do you want it more square? Do you want the ears to the leather? Do you want him a little longer to his chin? Do you want I mean, you know, it's fluffy short, super short, smooth short. So, you know, these are words that I try to use back for you when you're there. Um don't make him look like a poodle. Well, if you bring me a poodle or anything that's half poodle. Yeah, it's I can't make your dog look like something it's not. I I mean and and bring in a photo of something that you liked, or a a photo of your dog from a groom that you really liked, or if there was just a few things wrong with it, here's what I didn't like about this photo. Um, we can usually work with that a little easier. Yeah, it's you know, versus, you know, this was this was in the last three months, six months. I don't want to see a picture of your dog when he was, you know, five months old and now he's 10 because that's unrealistic. Um, so you know, bringing a photo will help for sure, but being able to use your words, um, you know, most groomers will take the time. I should say most educated groomers will take the time to try to pull out what it is that you want. We have some short-term phrases that we try to pass on to everybody that's in here in our academy with our clients and our students. If you go further, this is what we did, this is what you would say. So we we try to educate while we're here too to make it easier for you. Uh we understand people have to move and and you know, have to go other places or do things, you know, in between sometimes if we're full. So we want you to be well armed with the information.

Photos And Realistic Expectations

SPEAKER_01 4:51

So what are some everyday words owners can use that help you understand the length or style?

SPEAKER_02 4:58

So everyday words for me is my dog swims every day and has an ear infection, and I don't ever want to brush him.

Maintenance Words Groomers Understand

unknown 5:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 5:05

And instead, I get the I want my dog to be cute, long and fluffy. And those two things are great. But if you're not realistically coming in with um a well-brushed dog that you are wanting to spend at least an hour a week brushing, you're not gonna get that. Yeah. Um, so words some of the words like you can say, I want low maintenance. Um, I d I I want it still fluffy, but I don't want to brush every day. Or I want high maintenance. Or I I want to brush my dog every day. Some people want that relationship with their dog. And that's fine if that's you. That's not me. Um you know, and you know how fast your dog mats as well or tangles. Comfort groom. If you have an older dog, a really good term for that is I need a comfort groom. Um, you know, which means, you know, whatever you can do. Um, or if you have a dog that bites, again, whatever's easiest for, you know, your animal. Uh, or you can say, yeah, I know he can't stand or sit. Uh, you know, I don't care if he's here all day. You know, we typically, we do, so we typically will will still charge a rush fee and get them in and out. I don't like to have elderly dogs here on a long-term basis, but um, you know, we use still our our humanity over vanity, which is still, you know, keeping keeping the all-over interest for the dog versus trying to coincide with something that's gonna please you visually. And the haircut you want and the brushing you do have to match.

Beard Versus Mustache Confusion

SPEAKER_01 6:34

What's the biggest misunderstanding you see when owners try to describe face, ears, or tail styles?

SPEAKER_02 6:44

So I had one today, this morning. Oh my goodness. And this is a very cute little terrier cut. Um, you know, every time we come in, and it's you know, I've done this dog, and she's like, you know, your husband did it. My husband is not a groomer, my husband is a trash talker. So he comes in and he says, I groomed this dog, I'll take it and fix it up. And this lady to this day still believes that my husband groomed her dog. He has not. I did it. Uh, and she liked the groom from three years ago. She didn't like the groom the last time, she didn't drop it off. That said, we showed her a picture from that groom, and that groom was um exactly what she asked for. And she goes, Oh, that looks great. I said, That was time date stamp the day that you were here, the time from before. She says, Oh, I don't remember it looking like that. I well, I have a photo to show you. So we had this conversation standing up front, and she said, Well, I love the scruffy face, but last time it was way too long. And then she said things like, Well, I love the chin. I like the beard. I want to keep his beard. But that she was rubbing on, you know, more of the top part of his lip, the mustache. And I said, So think about it like a face, right? The beard that's underneath, it's on the chin. So she, you don't she's going, I don't want those hairs. That's the beard. And and every note we had prior to that was leave the beard, leave the beard, leave the beard. I'm like, but And once I explained it to her that this is the mustache and this is the part that's on top, and she goes, Oh, well, that totally makes sense. So she wanted the fluffiness on the top part of the lip, but she wanted the chin very short. Now she doesn't know what guard we're using or how we're doing it, but she does know that she wants something different than last time. And luckily we had photos, so we were able to go over that. She comes on a regular basis. And, you know, the under the misunderstandings and the phrases that she was using, I've just explained to her that what I what I'm hearing is this when you say chin, when you say mustache, you know, when you think of a mustache on a man, it's the top lip. So dogs don't have lips per se. Uh, but the top part of that nose to me is how you would create a mustache. Yeah. The bottom part is how you would create

Ear Length That Fits Your Life

SPEAKER_02 8:56

a chin. If you want your ears to the leather, it's I don't want any ear hair. If you want your ears square or round, you know, there's it's you you need to be able to be specific. I don't want them longer than the face. I want them the same length as the chin. I want them extra short. Um, another thing I heard from a client the other day, she goes, I I like the ears long. I just don't want them to get in the water bowl. So then that gives me a good length. How much off? Half off, three inches off. Points his nose down. I can, you know, that's where she wants the ears to not go in past its nose. So I was like, okay, that's a good length. So we can work with that. Yeah. We just want to know your lifestyle, I should say. From your lifestyle, we can throw out some ideas and hopefully and give us some leeway. It might take one or two times to get exactly down what you want as well, but we'll get it.

SPEAKER_01 9:46

Well, thank you both for breaking that down so clearly for us today. I know this is gonna help so many pet parents feel more confident walking into their next appointment. We'll see you next time.

SPEAKER_02 10:00

Okay, step in.

Wrap Up And How To Book

SPEAKER_00 10:05

That's a wrap for this episode of Tale Talk with Hound Therapy. Ready to book your pet's next groom daycare stay or grooming academy tour? Call us at 469-367-0009. That's 469-367-0009 to schedule an appointment or visit us online at www.houndtherapy.com, serving North Texas with expert pet care. Until next time, keep those tails whacked.